Ptosis and Vision: How to Protect and Improve Your Eyesight

I had bilateral ptosis growing up, which means that I had ptosis in both eyes. However, my left eye had more severe ptosis. Due to a less-than-successful surgery when I was young, my left eyelid still drooped, causing me to slowly use my other eye to see more. Trying to fully use my left eye constantly was straining and taxed me when I had to forcibly elevate my eyelid to see through the entire day.

The gradual disuse of my left eye caused it to weaken overtime. Even now, my left eye has weaker vision than my right. That is why if you find yourself in the same position I was, don’t take the shortcut and the path that seems easiest. Exercise both of your eyes, and don’t let severe ptosis discourage you. Here are some exercises recommended by allaboutvision.com:

• Creating a circle around your eyes with your thumbs and index fingers, then repeatedly switching between a squinting and forehead wrinkling.

• Opening your eyes as wide as possible for several short bursts.

• Creating pressure on your forehead with your fingers, then creating resistance by pushing your forehead up using your facial muscles (as much as possible).

• Repeatedly squinting while one finger presses down on each corner of each eye.

• Repeatedly opening your eyes wide while sticking out your tongue, then going back to a resting state.

Additionally, you need to protect your eyes and the eyebrow region if you don’t want to endanger the operations that you had. I recommend sports goggles when you're playing sports, because the thick rim covers the area surrounding your eyes so that the surgical incisions don’t get disturbed. However, what exactly are sports goggles?

Many different factors distinguishes sports goggles from regular glasses:

1. Impact resistance. Sports goggles are made from durable, impact-resistant materials like polycarbonate, which are designed to withstand high-speed impacts, such as a ball or an elbow during sports.

2. Lens durability. The lenses in sports goggles are manufactured so that they are shatterproof and more scratch resistant to physical activity. 

3. Anti-Fog coating. Sports goggles often come with specialized anti-fog coatings or ventilation systems to prevent the lenses from fogging up during exercise. Anti-fog coatings is a special treatment given to the lenses to prevent condensation from forming and fogging up your vision.

4. Wrap around design. Sports goggles feature an adjustable strap that attaches to the temple tips (the end of the glasses) and wraps around the back of the head. This ensures that the glasses will not fall off due to rapid movement or shaking of the head during sports. 

5. Sport customization. Typically, especially for prescription sports eyewear, sports goggles can often be tailored to a specific sport. For example, protection against UV radiation and waterproofness can be added to your sports goggles. 

My experience with sports goggles was perfect; it did not hinder me at all, and there were multiple times where a flying elbow and a loose ball posed a threat to the safety of my eyes/eyelids and the operations on my ptosis.

Value and protect your eyesight!